Gion Matsuri

One of the three biggest festivals you can happen to see in Japan.

This one takes place in Kyoto and specifically, if the name hasn't given it away already, the Gion district. 

This is not an event that you run through quickly and get it all done. Rather it strolls right through your city and makes sure you know its there. It is a month long procedure starting at the beginning of July, but the most notable events begin around July 10th. At this time you will often hear the Gion Matsuri music being played in the arcades and along the street and shopping areas. There is a parade welcoming the mikoshi which effectively works as a further build-up (further since this is the second parade for the month in honor of this matsuri). It is this day that the mikoshi are cleansed in the Kamogawa and the commencement of the building of dozens carts called yamahoko. There are special places all over the city with granite blocks inserted into the street where the yamahoko are build upon when the time comes. 

The yamahoko are provided by special communities where they originate from (often called yama something) and if you are a member of one of these communities you have the unfortunate tax of providing for these gargantuan carts. There is a special community tax for their up keep, but in addition there are also sponsors for some lucky carts as a bit of a financial break. The instructions for these crazy carts are passed down from generation to generation without ever being written. Yeah that's right. They build these 10 meter plus structures completely from memory and just watching when they were children. Needless to say the building team is pretty exclusive.

These carts are finished in three days time on the 13, but with some particular carts (like the koi one), some finishing touches are added the day of the large Gion matsuri parade. The night of the 14th is called yoiyoiyoiyama, which pretty much translates to 'The Eve of the Eve of the Eve of Gion Matsuri'. Pretty ridiculous right? Well these people like their festivals. And as you might have guessed, the next night is the ever of the eve and then the 16th is the eve of Gion Matsuri. And you might even say this event is bigger than the actual day of the event due to the turn out of people. Gion Matsuri is held on the 17th of July every year. Rain or shine. Weekday or weekend. 

Hence if the 17th is on a Wednesday, you might expect a lot of people will not take off of work to see the parade around the city, but rather admire the yamahoko and food stalls and thousands of people the night before. It is a very large event that closes down the busiest part of town. People flood in from literally countries away. All of the hotels are sometimes booked a year in advanced for this celebration. There are game and activity stalls in the streets and people selling their merchandise and food. Lots and lots of food. 

On the morning of the 17th around 10am, the yamahoko begin their march around the city. Starting with one specific cart every year with an impressive katana on the top of it. Held on a bamboo pole perhaps 5 meters about the cart itself, this blade is used to cut the ribbon commencing the festival.

The day of the matsuri, the three gods of Yasaka shrine at the end of Shijo street and the Gion district are transported to a new temporary 'home' in the middle of Shijo street via the mikoshi that were earlier cleansed. The reasoning for the carts is that those are used to cleanse the streets in preparation for the gods arrival. The night of the 17th is when the mikoshi action takes place. You see at the shrine there must be complete darkness, no lights, no cameras, cellphones, nothing. Just total darkness for the gods to go into the mikoshi. A ritual is preformed and they are on their way. In 10 days time, on the 24th of July, they are paraded around the city once more via their mikoshi and are sent back to the shrine. This event gathers a lot of watchers, but not as many as before. There is also a significant lack of food stalls ( perhaps 4 or 5 to every hundred of the night of the 17th). 

On the 28th, these mikoshi are again cleansed and packed away for storage. 

Geisha

Largely disappeared in the increasingly modern if not advanced world of Japan, one stills seems to have a place in ones memory for the matter of the white-faced geishas.

Recently a friend inquired me if geishas still existed.
The extremely direct answer is that yes they do and I have actually had the luck to see one. But the other answer is that they are not quite like they were from the movie Memoires of a Geisha.

Previously, geishas were more often thought of as high priced whores, also seen in Memoires of a Geisha. But moreover, they got their start as more of an expression of art and entertainment. You see, back in the day, well I suppose it really isn't that far back in the mentalities of most Japanese, but for the purposes of this story you need to go back, back to when men were supreme and women their mere servants and heir bearers (see 50 years ago isn't that far back, but I speak of hundreds). Men of this time were often samurai, as well as butchers, heads of offices, merchants, you name it. The important part is that men were the one with the jobs. This means that men also had positions in the performing arts as well. Well more like every position. Geishas they were. The art of grace and style of beauty actually came from men! Can you believe it?! But the point of all of this was a discussion on the origins of geisha-ism, so with this knowledge you cannot say that the origin of geishas was prostitution (I mean unless there was male geisha prostitution of which I am unlearned).



It was later that women took over the role of being a geisha. Perhaps just for the prostitution aspect? I cannot say. But they would preform for clients with expensive tastes and would often entertain people such as the emperor himself. And men, being the selfish pigs they are, turned these geishas into concubines (one woman is clearly not enough, how dare you speak such heresy). And of course seeing the plethora of job opportunities on the market for entertainment and pleasure acts, geisha brothels did appear. Though I suppose one can argue whether or not these are true geishas at this point. Such was the reaction to these brothels that the city had to institute a number of rules on the whore house perhaps to maintain somewhat of an air of modesty and class to their cities. For example:

• they limited their existance to specific districts called yukaku 
• they instituted a rule where no male was allowed to stay there for more than a 24 hour period straight 
• the employment was not allowed to leave the peremmississ without authority to do so 
• and the employment was to wear simple died kimonos, to a lesser quality than the finer courtesans

These rules and tight control came upon a time when female geishas were flourishing and daughters were easily given up to a geisha or brothel house. A woman's dowry can be quite expensive you see and women are no cheap things themselves, just compare a woman's and a mans kimono. Please reference the movie again to understand why they were given up and auctioned off...


In today's time, geishas still exist as the exquisite beauties of white face and striking make up. They wear beautiful and elaborate kimonos that must be sweltering with the many layers of fabric. They do still do dance performances as well as tea serving at select tea houses. They are a top dollar commodity, a luxury expense for the wealthy elite. They play instruments, they dance, recite poetry, they sing, write calligraphy, they story-tell, they pour tea; but they are not auctioned off to any bidders with virginity as a price.

Living in the kansai region, a stones throw from Kyoto, I can attest that you can still see many of geisha present there, if you know where to look. By that same factor, I will also be the first to tell you that there is no real geisha scene in Tokyo. I would tell you this because the culture and the traditions as well as the buildings themselves and atmosphere of Kyoto is so well preserved that the modern and technologically advanced Tokyo cannot hold a candle to it. Indeed in Kyoto there are ordinances input to maintain as much historical buildings and areas as possible. Even the atmosphere is important: you know McDonalds red sign with the golden arches? Well because back in the day, they would not have acheived such unnatural colors, they have modified the sign and appearance to be somewhat dulled and the red is a ruddy brown and the golden arches are more or less a bit more golden in appearance.

It is true that many of the 'geishas' you might believe to have met are actually maikos, a younger, less experienced apprentice version of the same thing. At what time a maiko becomes a geisha, I cannot say. It used to be at a certain age, a maiko would graduate into a geisha, but today's skills and requirements tend to vary from ancient times. Others that you might see, especially if they are out and about, are actually tourists, who pay a fee to be dressed up as such and visit the relics of Kyoto.

tourists in dress 

Where to see them? At big events that call for a celebration. I saw them at a recent matsuri (festival) where the pair, a geisha and a maiko put on a beautiful dance.